Without Atkins, the Bengals may be a candidate to drop out of the top 10 in a hurry. Cincinnati has now lost its top two defensive players, with corner Leon Hall the victim of a torn Achilles weeks ago.

The Cincinnati offense will have to carry the defense from this point onward, and that's not encouraging after Dalton's 338 yards and three interceptions (one returned for a touchdown) on Thursday.

No. 12 San Diego Chargers (4-3)

No one is giving San Diego a chance.

The Chargers have quietly been one of the best teams in the league over the past four weeks. Philip Rivers and Co. have won three of four, and the defense has not surrendered a touchdown in 11 quarters.

QB Philip Rivers has three 400-yard pass games in 2013 for the @Chargers, MOST in the NFL.

All of this goes without mentioning the Panthers have a top-three defense that excels in all areas. Carolina has an outside shot of catching New Orleans in the NFC South, but if not, this team could make some major noise if it were to sneak into the postseason.